Am I nuts to consider painting my large pebbledash semi by myself? (pic)

[howaboutshopping]

Last time my house was painted (around 15yrs ago) it cost about 5k, including the scaffold. The exterior really needs repainting again now. What do you think about me doing it myself? I'm reasonably handy, though I'm aware I might get repetitive strain. It's a large 4 bed with loft conversion so I'd need a scaffold with 3 levels. I also wonder what's the best method to apply the paint? I don't want to use a sprayer. And I wonder will I get good coverage from two coats, or might the bad bits need 3?

[LevantineHummus]

No idea, but it's exactly the sort of thing I'd think, then do and get half way through and think that £5k minus whatever I'd paid for scaffolding really was worth it after all!

[engineersthumb]

Do you need a scaffold or would a tower do? Towers are much cheaper. You could buy a tower so that you're not rushed and either sell it on or keep it for more of "those jobs".

[Monkeypuzzle32]

I once painted the front of a 1 bed pebble dash flat, never again! It took forever and used so much more paint than a professional would use because although I bought the correct rushers I just didn't have the same technique as s professional, also I assume a professional would spray paint it?
Anyway some things are not worth doing yourself IMO!

[averylongtimeago]

I wouldn't go for a scaffold tower, to get up to the top of that g able it would be very high. DH has a couple he uses for work (builder) and not only are they a pain to move on your own, but you have to get them absolutely level or they are wobbly.

To answer your question: I would get a quote or two from a professional painter, then a quote from a scaffolding firm. They will give you a price to erect the scaffold plus a fortnight's hire, with an additional hire charge for each week after that.
Then I would buy a tin of paint and do a section of wall. How easy is it? How far does the paint go?

Then decide what you want to do....

[SuburbanRhonda]

Can you not afford it or would you just prefer not to spend that much?

Agree with pp - there are certain jobs it's worth paying someone else to do and for me this would be one of them.

[howaboutshopping]

A tower is totally out of the question as the ground slopes quite markedly. Also the apex is very high. I don't have the budget to pay someone else to do the whole job, so it's me or nothing for a few more years. I think we used 15 20litre buckets of paint last time.

[SuburbanRhonda]

It sounds to me like adangerous job to take on.

We lived for 8 years with white painted brickwork and black sills and lintels on the outside of our house until we could afford to pay someone to do the job properly. They did a fantastic job and it was worth every penny.

[frazzled3ds]

Having helped paint a pebbledash property once before, all I will say is it takes forever! Far longer than you think it will and faffing about working the paint in by hand with a brush is mind numbing...... it is something you could do yourself, but be prepared for it to take longer than you think! As an interim 'freshen it up' think, would pressure washing the house be an option?

[JoJoSM2]

I think you should give it a go. It's not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, it will take ages and be very boring but it'd be pretty difficult to bodge it.

[Haint]

We did ours. The best advice I can give is to get a sprayer. We got ours from b&q. After having covered about 2 Sq m in a whole day the remainder with the sprayer only took another day. Do cover the windows with news paper though

[engineersthumb]

Towers will reach upto 8m though they are a pain to move on your own. Most towers can deal with slopping ground as they have adjustable feet, though in te past I've set towers up on blocks (usually 6x2 or 8X2 off cuts). It's also not impossible to just use an extension ladder. I've no doubt there will be a health and safety bod along to say "ladders are for access only".... hmm what's the odds that they have never wielded anything heavier than a biro!

[supercue]

Not a job I would attempt and I'm the DIYer in this house.

Far too risky.

[shirleycartersaidso]

If you can't get a tower how are you going to reach it?!

[ElsieMc]

Myself and dh painted our detached house 18 months ago. It had a roughcast finish and it absolutely drank the paint. We could not use a roller because we literally had to push it into the exterior finish with large brushes. It took us around two weeks with two of us working each day. It was an absolutely awful job to do. I think it cost around £600-£700 in paint alone. We used trade paint.

My dh did the porch door (double door) with oil based Little Greene in a blue-grey colour with silver door fittings. He found it hard to work with, but it looks really nice and has had a lot of comment.

We are in our fifties and have said we would rather move than paint it again. We also had a number of mishaps and I fell from garage roof level onto paving. I got up and walked away but next day my bruising came out and I was literally black from the chest down. I have been told by other trade people that I was very lucky.

You may get good results from spraying or if you got someone in, then it could well cost less as the time is less.

By the end of the job I wanted to cry and I salute anyone who does this for a living.

[FinnegansCake]

I really wouldn't attempt it. We had a small veranda built which I painted myself, and it was about a month before the tingling in my fingers stopped (caused by neck strain).

[MakeItStopNeville]

Could you just hire a power-washer for now? It would look much better after a good clean.

[FourKidsNotCrazyYet]

Does it not just need a good power wash? £5k every five years seems a lot. What is under it? Would it be worth getting it removed? My grandparents had their house pebble dashed because it was the right 'look' not because the brickwork was awful. When they had it removed, the brickwork was sandblasted and it looked amazing. If you do paint it why would you not use a sprayer?

[SoupDragon]

Find an inconspicuous spot and try painting it. Then imagine doing that for the whole house and whilst perched high up on scaffolding.

Painting things like pebbledash with a brush is a total PITA.

I'm not sure I would power wash it myself either.

[heffalumpshavewrinkles]

Yes!

[Crumbelina]

I'd probably have a go, but then we're renovating the whole house by ourselves and seem to be constantly doing ridiculously time consuming jobs .

We got all our pebbledash removed for £7-8k and it looks much better for it.

[wanderings]

I got an extra fluffy roller and did the outside that way - it worked.

[Thecontentedcat]

Spray it with 'wet and forget', leave it for few weeks and see if it still needs painting.

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

How about a creeper??

[Patriciathestripper1]

Me and Dh painter our two storey farm house, but only needed a ladder. I enjoyed it and went on to paint a friends holiday home mostly on my own but a friend came to do the chimney breast because of the hight. I used brushes and rollers.
If I were you id hire a tower, and wouldn't go for white paint as it dosnt last as long as a colour and shows dirt and staining quicker.

[junglie]

Ive started to do our house. I'm using sandex masonry paint and a very fluffy masonry paint roller on a pole. I'm painting around Windows and doors with a masonry paint brush. I'm really pleased with the results so far but my house isn't as big as yours. Why don't you consider doing as much as you are able to do and then get a quote off someone for the other bits?